Roll-shifting mechanism for automatic musical instruments



L. w. soumem. ROLL SHIFTING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8. l9l6. RENEWED NOV- IG, I918. 1,307,424.

- Patented J une 24, I919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS W. SOUTI-IGATE, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO STAN'DARD PNEUMATIC ACTION CO., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ROLL-SHIFTING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 24, 1919.

Application filed April 8, 1916,-Seria1 No. 89,978. Renewed November 16, 1918. Serial No. 262,907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS WV. SOUTHGATE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of WVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Roll- Shifting Mechanism for Automatic Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a roll shifting mechanism particularly adapted for use in laterally adjusting the music and take-up rolls in an automatic musical instrument.

In such instruments and particularly in player pianos and organs the music sheet is commonly wound upon a music roll and is drawn therefrom over a tracker bar to a take-up roll upon which the sheet is again wound. As the sheet passes over the trackerbar, the perforations in the sheet uncover corresponding openings in the tracker bar, and certain notes of the instrument are thereby sounded.

It is essential that perfect lateral regis- 1 tration of the perforations and the tracker openings be maintained, and for this purpose different devices have been constructed for relatively adjusting the tracker-bar and note sheet. There are serious structural objections to moving the tracker bar laterally and it has therefore been the common prac tice to move the upper or music roll laterally to correct this sidewise deviation of the note sheet. This arrangement in which the music roll only is shifted does not secure instantaneousadjustment of the note sheet and has not been found entirely satisfactory. Accordingly various arrangements. have been proposed for simultaneously shifting both rolls, and it is to this class of mecha-' nisms that my invention belongs.

Where both rolls are shifted, as by a pneumatic or bellows motor, it is customary to secure the reverse movement of each roll by means of a spring. As heretofore constructed the motor has been forced to operate against both springs in moving the rolls in one direction, and has been immediately forced back toward or beyond its original position, whenever the pressure of the m0- tor is reduced. The mechanism therefore has had no position of rest, and a bellows motor of considerable power has been necessary to shift the rolls against the combined force of the two springs.

less of the lateral position which they may chance to occupy.

lVith this object in view a principal feature of my invention relates to the provision of connected motor mechanism working alternately on different rolls for moving said rolls in opposite directions at different times, combined with resilient devices for moving each of said rolls in the reverse direction.

Further features of my invention relate to certain arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of my invention is shown in the drawings in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved roll shifting mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of certain of the connections, and

Fig. 3 is a partial left-hand end elevation looking in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 have shown a base 10 to which are secured side frame members 11 and 12. The music roll 13 is supported therein at its right-hand end by a driving spindle 14: and at its left-hand end by a spring-pressed plunger 15. The plunger 15 is slidable in a sleeve or hearing 16 mounted in the frame member 11, and is forced yieldingly to the right by a spring 17. A collar 18 secured to the rearwardly extending stem of the plunger 15 limits the outward movement of the plunger.

The driving spindle 14: extends through the frame member 12, and is slidable in an opening in a plate 20 and in a bushing 21 in a plate 22, the plates 20 and 22 forming the frame work which supports the driving mechanism. The plates 20 and 22 are secured together by spacing studs 23 and 2A.

A sprocket 25 is fast on the s indle 14 and is connected by a chain 26 indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1) to a second sprocket 27 loosely mounted upon the driving shaft 28. The shaft 28 is slidable and rotatable in bearings in the plates 20 and 22, and is provided with a sprocket 29 through which it is driven by a chain 30 from any suitable source of power.

A clutch collar 31 is fixed to the shaft 28,

the shaft and collar being movable longitudinally by means of a manually operated lever 32. When the shaft and collar are moved to the right the driving pin 33 mounted on the collar 31 engages a pin 34 on the sprocket 27, thereby rotating the sprocket and driving the spindle 14 backward to rewind the music roll.

The lower or take-up roll 40 is-provided at its right-hand end with a. projecting stud 41 rotatable in a fixed bearing 42, the-end of the stud engaging a leaf spring for a purpose to be described. At its left-hand end the-roll 40 is provided with a longer stud or spindle 44 which projects through the side member 11 and has a. bearing in a plate 45 secured to the outer side of the pins 33 and 34 through Which the rewind mechanism is operated; v The mechanism described for driving the rolls is'old in all essential features.

The tracker bar is; indicated at 59 and is provided with a series of openings 51 each corresponding to a certain note of the musical instrument and also, inthe preferred embodiment of my invention, with two additional tracker openings 52 and 53, these openings being so positioned that they will be covered by the edges of the note sheet S when the latter is in normal position;

The openings 52 and 53 are connected by tubes 54 and 55 to a valve chest 56. and a pneumatic or bellows motor 57. The motor 57 has a fixed intermediate portion 58- and two movable leaves 59 and 60, these leaves being connected to each other by the link 61 shown in dotted lines inFig. 1. The valve mechanism in the chest 56 and the bellows motor 57 may be of any usual type and is so constructed thatthe uncovering of the tracker opening 52 will cause the connected leaves of the motor to be raised by atmospheric pressure in the upper bellows, while the uncovering ofthe opening 531 will cause corresponding lowering of the com nected leaves 59- and 60 by atmospheric pressure in the lower bellows.

The leaf 59 is connected by a link 62 to a crank arm 63 formed on a shaft 64 pivotally mounted in bearings 6565 in a bracket 66 securedto the rear portion of the supporting frame. A cam plate 70- formed on the end of an arm 71 is rigidly secured to the right-hand end of the shaft 64 and is positioned to engage the outwardly projecting end of .the driving spindle 14. The arm 63 is also connected by a link 72 3) to an arm 73 formed integrally with a cam plate 74 pivoted at 7 5 to a block 76 on the side frame 11 and positioned to engage the left-hand end of the spindle 44.

Having thus described the construction of my improved roll shifting mechanism the operation thereof will be readily understood. Assuming that the sheet S deviates to the right, thetracker opening 52 will be uncovered therebyraising the movable leaves 59 and'60of the bellows motor and moving thev cam plate 70 upward as viewed in Fig. 1, thereby forcing the music roll 13 to the left. At the same; time the cam plate 74 will be moved toward the rear as viewed in Fig. 1 thus permitting the take-up roll 40 to be moved toward theleft under the infiuence of the leaf spring 43.

It will thus be evident that while the motor is working against the spring 17 in the plunger 15 the spring 43 is working in the opposite directionto assist the motor.

In the same way if the sheet deviates to the left, uncoveringthe opening 53, the'bellows leaves 59. and 60 will be moved downward, causing the cam plate 74to force the take-up roll 40- to the right, and moving the cam plate 70 downward, as: viewed in Fig. 1, thus permitting the spring plunger 15 to move the music roll 13 to the right.

- As the cam plates 70- and 74 are mechanically connected through the link 72, the arm 63 and the shaft 64, the pressure of the.

spring 43 in one direction is at all times offset by the pressure of the spring 17 in the epposite direction, and the entire meche anism is in a-state of rest as to lateral dis placement in any lateral position of the music and take-up. rolls. Furthermore the power required in the motor to move the rolls in either. direction from this state of rest is much less than would be necessary if the motor were required to work against the combined strength of the two'springs.

Having. thus described my invention it will be evident that changes and modifications can be. made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the, spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the claims, and I do not wish to be otherwise limited to the details herein disclosed,

but what I- claim is 1. In an automatic musical instrument, a frame, music and take-up rolls mounted in saidframe, a, tracker bar, and mechanism for moving said rolls simultaneously laterally to adjust the note sheet relativelyto said tracker bar, said mechanism comprising a double-acting pneumaticdevice connected to move one roll axially in'one direction when one bellows is inflated, and the second said frame, a tracker bar, and mechanism for moving said rolls simultaneously laterally to adjust the note sheet relatively to said tracker bar, said means comprising a motor for moving each roll axially in one direction and separate devices for moving each roll axially in the reverse direction, said separate devices being balanced against lateral displacement in all positions of the rolls.

3. In an automatic musical instrument, a frame, music and take-up rolls mounted in said frame, a tracker bar, and mechanism for moving said rolls simultaneously laterally to adjust the note sheet relatively to said tracker bar. said means comprising a motor for moving each roll axially in one direction and separate yielding devices for moving each roll axially in the reverse direction, said motor and said yielding devices being effective to normally maintain said rolls in a balanced state of rest as to lateral displacement in all lateral positions thereof.

4. In an automatic musical instrument, a frame, music and take-up rolls mounted in said frame, a tracker bar, and mechanism for moving said rolls simultaneously laterally to adjust the note sheet relatively to said tracker bar, said mechanism comprising a pneumatic device for at times moving one roll axially in one direction and at other times moving the second roll in the opposite direction, and separate resilient devices for moving each roll axially in the reverse direction, said rolls being normally balanced against lateral displacement in all lateral positions thereof.

5. In an automatic musical instrument, a

frame, music and take-up rolls mounted in said frame, a tracker-bar, and mechanism for moving said rolls simultaneously laterally to adjust the note sheet relatively to said tracker bar, said mechanism comprising a cam at one end of one roll and a second cam at the opposite end of the second roll, a pneumatic motor, connections from said motor to said cams, and separate resilient devices engaging said rolls at the ends opposite to said cams, said rolls, cams, resilient devices and connections forming a construction balanced Within itself as to lateral dis placement in every position of the rolls.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

LOUIS W. SQUTHGATE.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

